


Truly a Caring Soul

by demishock



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Canon Universe, IgNoct, Ignoct Big Bang, M/M, Mutual Pining, Valentine's Day, White Day, brotherhood era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:54:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22230631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demishock/pseuds/demishock
Summary: Ignis is enlisted to help Iris make homemade Valentine’s chocolates, which forces him to confront his feelings for Noctis.Noctis wants to reciprocate with a gift of his own on White Day, but a mishap in training puts a damper on his plans.Two pine nuts in love try to make something work.Written for the Ignoct Big Bang 2019.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 20
Kudos: 98
Collections: The Ignoct Big Bang 2019





	Truly a Caring Soul

**Author's Note:**

> There's a bit of optional dialogue in the game:
> 
>  **Ignis:** Iris is truly a caring soul.  
>  **Noctis:** Like you. No wonder you get along like wildfire.  
>  **Ignis:** We do have much in common. Like our tales of picking up after the prince.  
>  **Noctis:** Glad I could be of service.
> 
> And I heard that and thought, 'What Ignis and Iris also have in common is cooking and sewing and being in love with Noct.' And so, this fic was born. XD; For anyone unaware: Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated in various parts of the world that generally involves giving chocolate to your loved ones (usually in a romantic context, but it can also be between family and friends), and White Day is a follow-up holiday where people who received gifts on Valentine's Day return the favor with gifts of their own. We don't have White Day where I'm from, so I modeled this off Japan's version.
> 
> I owe a whole slew of people my gratitude for their help with this fic. First and foremost, of course, thanks to the Ignoct Big Bang mods for running the show and keeping an open line of communication from beginning to end. I am in awe of your organizational skills. orz
> 
> To all my fellow writers over on the discord, thank you for all the brainstorming, cheerleading, mutual "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"ing, and support these past several months. I can't wait to read your projects as well! ♥
> 
> Additional thanks to my official beta, [somestarvingartist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/somestarvingartist), for all the suggestions and corrections. Thanks to my UNofficial betas [wheeljak](https://twitter.com/JakdawArts) and [snarechan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarechan) for their long-time friendship, for their concrit, and for patiently listening to me freak out. A huge special shout-out goes to [lucianlibrarian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucianlibrarian), for taking the section I spent the most time stuck on and rearranging it into a legitimately coherent series of paragraphs.
> 
> Many thanks as well to my lovely artist, [ladymildred](https://twitter.com/ladymildred), who immediately latched on to one of my favorite scenes as the one she wanted to draw. I know you agonized over your piece just as much as I agonized over mine, and I'm so glad we get to run screaming and flailing across the finish line together. We did it! \o/  
> I've linked her accompanying art in the end notes, as the piece is set during the final scene. :)
> 
> And finally, thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this! I hope you enjoy my piece for this event, and I hope you check out everyone else's as well. Let's keep ignoct and FFXV going strong in 2020!
> 
> You guys… are the best! ; . ;

To say that Ignis was through with today would be the understatement of the century. He hadn't had a moment to himself since he'd ascended the Citadel steps that morning, and he was greatly looking forward to the solitude of his drive home. His shoulders were noticeably stiff as he stepped into the elevator and cast his weary eyes about for the button he needed. Upon locating it, he pressed it with a bit more force than was strictly necessary, and when the doors slid shut on him and him alone, he allowed himself an audible sigh of relief.

Tensions were rising ever higher amongst the members of King Regis's council. Niflheim was on the warpath yet again, and a new base had cropped up seemingly overnight right here in the Cavaugh region. Ignis's elders on the council were none-too-pleased, and everyone had their own ideas for how to deal with the threat. Ignis had been asked for his own input as well, due to his newly gained status as an official member of the Crownsguard. The pressure of all that attention was weighing heavily on him. As Noctis's future (and current) advisor, he not only had his own reputation to uphold, he represented the prince as well.

Ignis had thought that when he traded his academic studies for the Crownsguard full-time that the transition would be a lot smoother than it had turned out to be. Between the council meetings, more frequent combat drills, new city patrol duties, fulfilling requests for the citizenry, and his regular check-ins with Noctis, Ignis was being stretched a bit thin.

Upon exiting the elevator, he was accosted by several of the councilmembers whom he had just finished speaking with upstairs in the formal meeting chambers. It seemed they had a great deal more to say, and they waylaid him for another fifteen minutes before he politely managed to extricate himself and resume his retreat.

He could feel a headache building behind his eyes as he walked briskly down the hallway toward the car park, and he hoped he would make it without further interruption.

"Iggy!"

He paused.

So much for that.

It was somewhat startling to hear his most casual nickname called out in the middle of the Citadel. Not immediately recognizing the voice, Ignis turned slowly, trying to maintain a dignified countenance. Upon realizing who it was, he dropped into a curt bow.

"Lady Iris," he said politely. "How may I assist you?"

The young Amicitia girl wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Just 'Iris' is fine."

"Very well. Was there something you needed, Iris?"

"Noct says you're a good cook," she said in lieu of a proper answer, and if Ignis hadn't been startled before, he certainly was now.

"Kind of him," he said, adjusting his glasses to recover. "I'm afraid he may be overstating my abilities."

But Iris shook her head.

"I know how picky he is; he wouldn't've said it if it wasn't true."

Ignis felt a twinge of pride. It was one thing to witness Noctis eating the food he'd cooked for him. It was quite another to learn he was talking it up to other people. He tried not to let that particular bit of new knowledge distract him from the task at hand.

"Are you hungry, then?" he ventured, still unsure where Iris was headed with all of this.

She shook her head vigorously.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me make something."

"Oh?"

"It's almost Valentine's Day, and I wanted to make my own chocolate this year, but I don't really know how..."

"Ah, of course. That would be quite the undertaking, I'd imagine, with so many in your household."

He was already doing the calculations in his head. There was Gladio, Master Clarus, Jared, and young Talcott...

Iris, however, scuffed the toe of her shoe against the tile, clasping her hands behind her back and looking rather bashful.

"Actually… I was kind of hoping to make some for Noct. I figured, since you know all his favorite foods, you'd know what kind of chocolates he'd like, too…"

She trailed off, looking up at him hopefully.

An ugly, unbecoming thought passed through Ignis's fatigued mind, which he quickly quashed. Iris's crush on the prince was nothing new. Ignis should have seen this coming, really. Yet hearing her say it aloud made him, of all things, the tiniest bit jealous. Which was utterly absurd.

He knew Noctis didn't reciprocate her feelings.

Also, she was twelve years old; she hardly qualified as competition.

Not to mention the fact that Ignis had no business thinking of himself in such a position, either.

Foolish. Very foolish. And now he'd gone rather too long without responding to Iris's inquiry.

He cleared his throat.

"Certainly. Let me just check my schedule…"

"Great!" Iris said, all smiles now, and Ignis didn't have the heart to try and deter her.

* * *

And so it was that he found himself at the Amicitia residence a few days later, grocery bags in tow. He'd agreed to pick up the chocolate himself, knowing what Noctis would prefer, while Iris would select whatever she had in mind for shapes and decorations.

He raised a gloved hand to knock at the door, but stopped short when someone called out from behind him.

"Should've known you'd be right on time," Gladio said around a laugh.

Ignis turned to see him coming up the path, groceries of his own in the crook of one arm and Iris hanging from the other. Iris was giggling for all she was worth as Gladio easily kept her feet off the ground. The pair was dressed casually against the frigid February air, in jeans and matching hoodies emblazoned with the crest of the Crownsguard. Ignis had to bite his tongue to keep from chastising them both over the lack of a proper coat between them.

"Good afternoon, Gladio; Iris," he greeted instead, stepping aside so the siblings could open the door before following them into the foyer.

Gladio set his sister down amidst much protesting and, once they'd all gotten their shoes off, handed the bag of supplies to her.

"Make yourself at home," he told Ignis. "I've been enlisted to keep Noct busy so he doesn't start asking questions. He's been training here at the house a lot lately, but I'll make sure to keep him occupied somewhere else today."

"Thanks, Gladdy!" Iris said, smiling sweetly before motioning Ignis to follow her. "To the kitchen!"

She dashed off down the hallway, pumping one fist in the air as she clutched the groceries in the other. Ignis removed his gloves, coat, and scarf and hung them up by the door, then tossed a wave in Gladio's direction.

"Duty calls," he said. "Try not to bruise him up too badly; he still has classes tomorrow."

Gladio snorted.

"If he'd get better at what he's doing, he wouldn't need me to go easy on him. Thanks, by the way," he added, and Ignis frowned at him, perplexed. "For doing this with Iris. Means a lot to her, and by extension, to me."

"It feels a bit cruel to encourage her," Ignis admitted, keeping his voice down, but Gladio just shrugged.

"What's the harm? She's just a kid, and besides, it'll do Noct good to learn some manners when it comes to girls."

That awful, jealous feeling was back. Ignis forced himself to ignore it.

"I suppose," was all he said.

* * *

When he made it to the kitchen, Iris was already in the process of unloading her cargo. Tubes of frosting and canisters full of sprinkles littered the countertop alongside little heart-shaped candy molds of varying sizes. Ignis's surprise must have been evident on his face, because Iris looked a bit sheepish as she explained,

"I wasn't sure what would be best, so I got one of everything."

"So I see," Ignis said, smiling despite himself. He certainly couldn't fault her for her enthusiasm.

He set about organizing their workspace as he instructed Iris as to the bowls, pans, and other utensils they would need. Iris darted about the kitchen, diligently retrieving the items he requested, and soon they got to work, breaking up the chocolate to be melted and reshaped. He showed Iris how to temper the chocolate to maintain its form and shine, and together they carefully poured it into the molds Iris had procured.

While they waited for the first batch to set in the fridge, Iris grilled him about all things Noctis. Ignis obliged as best he could, trying to strike a balance between answering her questions and maintaining Noctis's privacy.

Ignis was envious of Iris's position. She seemed to have few qualms with admitting her feelings. She was a little shy about it, perhaps, but here she was, setting up her confession in no uncertain terms. Yes, she was decidedly too young at the moment, but she wouldn't be forever. Depending on how long Noctis took to find a proper match, Iris could very well age up into the running. Ignis, on the other hand, was permanently out of said running, and this whole ordeal was rubbing salt in that particular wound.

"I want to do something special to let him know it's from me," Iris said as she piped pink frosting around the edges of one of their creations, "but not something super obvious like putting a tag on the outside. I thought about writing each letter on a chocolate, but then they won't stay in order in the bag…"

Ignis considered her appeal, sipping at a can of Ebony dug out from his groceries to stall for time as he cast about for an idea.

"Perhaps a tag on the _inside_ , then?" he suggested. At Iris's puzzled frown, Ignis demonstrated using a pair of empty molds. "If we coat the outsides instead of filling them in, we can make one hollow, and put your identifier inside."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up at the suggestion. "That's a great idea!"

Iris got to work, brushing a thin layer of chocolate into one of the heart-shaped molds and waiting for it to harden before adding another layer, and another, until Ignis deemed it thick enough not to break too easily. She then penned a little note, the contents of which were deemed a secret, and folded it up tightly while Ignis heated the edges of the two chocolate shells. Iris dropped her note inside one half, and Ignis pressed the warmed edges together until they sealed shut along the seam.

He tried not to think too hard about how it felt like he was also sealing off some part of himself with the action. It wouldn't do to be melodramatic.

Iris hummed a cheerful tune as she put the finishing touches on the chocolates. They'd made enough for Noctis, as well as everyone in Iris's family. Ignis set to cleaning up the kitchen as Iris packaged them up in little bags tied with ribbon. When Ignis turned from the sink, a quick count showed one more than he'd been expecting to see. A distant relative, perhaps? Or an offering to be taken to the family gravesite?

He decided it was none of his business and kept his curiosity to himself.

Both of them heard the front door open, and with impressive speed, Iris scooped up the bags and scrambled out of the kitchen to hide them upstairs.

"Hey, I'm back!" Gladio called. "You guys about done?"

"We just finished," Ignis affirmed, wiping his hands on a dishtowel as Gladio came to lean against the doorframe.

"Smells like that candy shop at the mall in here," Gladio said, grinning. "Guess that means it went well?"

"It did, indeed."

A series of hurried footfalls announced the return of Iris, and she tackled her big brother around the middle, dragging him into a hug. Gladio made a show of acting like she'd knocked the wind out of him before 'recovering' and turning back to Ignis.

"You wanna stick around? Jared makes a mean pot pie."

Iris bounced on her toes.

"Yeah! Stay for dinner!"

Ignis smiled faintly.

"I appreciate the offer, you two, but I'm afraid I've already promised to dine elsewhere this evening."

"Aww…" Iris pouted.

Gladio tousled her hair and gave Ignis a knowing look.

"Make sure you don't tell him what you were up to today."

"My lips are sealed."

They saw him to the door, and Iris handed him one of the chocolate bundles, which she appeared to have hidden in the pocket of her hoodie. He accepted it with a puzzled frown.

"Valentine's is still a few days off," he pointed out. "I'm not sure leaving Noct's candies with me is the safest option."

"Those aren't his, silly; they're for you!"

Ignis's face must have given away his confusion, because she went on.

"It didn't seem fair that you had to look at the chocolate all day and didn't get to eat any," she said. "Plus, you really helped me out! So, thank you."

Ignis turned the bundle over carefully, considering it for a moment before tucking it gently into his satchel.

"Thank you, as well, Iris."

She beamed and waved as he made his way back to his car and departed.

As he sat in traffic on his way to Noctis's apartment, he ruminated over the odd position he found himself in. True, the chocolates would be given by Iris, but if Ignis had helped her make them, that meant they were, after a fashion, from him as well. But he couldn't tell Noctis that.

There were a lot of things that he simply couldn't tell Noctis, and the list only ever seemed to grow longer.

Ignis had tread this mental path many a time. Noctis was the Prince of Lucis. That role came with certain… responsibilities.

None of which included reciprocating the wildly inappropriate feelings of his chamberlain.

He needed to be more professional about this. Needed to stop dwelling on things that could never be. Needed to buck up, perform his duties, and support Noctis as his friend and advisor… and nothing more.

Instead, he stopped by the store on his way home that night to pick up more supplies.

It was already late by the time he left Noctis's place, and later still when he found himself called in to break up an altercation outside one of the local nightclubs. By the time he'd passed the situation off to a senior guardswoman and made it to his own apartment, it was nearing midnight, and he still had documents to go over for Council the next morning.

With a sigh, he put on a pot of coffee and got to work.

* * *

On Valentine's Day proper, Noctis got home from school and tossed his usual bag and a second, plastic one onto the kitchen counter before bee-lining for the couch. He flopped onto it bodily and let out a sigh, throwing his arm over his eyes.

Ignis's lips twitched upward at the melodrama.

"Bad day?" he asked archly, gravitating toward the discarded items.

"Not 'bad'," Noctis mumbled. "Just exhausting."

"Oh?"

"I don't get why people make such a big deal out of Valentine's Day; I really don't."

For indeed, the second bag he'd been carrying was near full to bursting with Valentine's chocolates.

"I do hope you didn't leave a trail of broken hearts in your wake," Ignis said.

He could hear the eye-roll in Noctis's voice as he replied, "I was real diplomatic; don't worry." Then, noticing where Ignis was looking, he sat up and added, "You want any of them? I offered them to Prompto but he said he's on a diet…"

"I'm surprised you don't want to eat them yourself."

Noctis ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Eating them feels like accepting their feelings. I can't do that."

Ignis hummed in acknowledgement and sifted idly through the bag. His hand paused over a familiar parcel, buried in with all the rest. He held it up for Noctis's inspection.

"This one seems a bit more elaborate than the others…?"

"Keep it," Noctis said. "I don't even know who that one's from. They left it in my desk with no note or anything."

"A secret admirer?" Ignis suggested as his heart went out to poor Iris, even as his own heart was the tiniest bit vindicated.

"I guess."

Ignis felt as though he ought to at least _try_ , both for Iris's sake and because he'd had a hand in this little project as well, so he untied the bag and plucked out the piece of chocolate he knew they'd hidden the message inside.

"At least have this one," he said, offering it to his charge, who looked at him with no small amount of suspicion.

"What gives, Specs?" he asked. "You never advise candy before dinner. Unless…"

Noctis studied him closely. Ignis adjusted his glasses.

"…They aren't from you, are they?"

Ah.

"Only in a manner of speaking," Ignis recovered quickly. "I promise all will be revealed if you just…"

"Yeah, okay, fine."

Noctis snatched the chocolate heart out of Ignis's hand and bit into it without preamble. Thankfully, he didn't just stuff the whole thing in his mouth, and so he noticed the little slip of paper hidden inside. Frowning, he popped the other half of the chocolate into his mouth before unfolding the paper, his eyes scanning it quickly. When he swallowed, it was audible.

"Oh."

"Yes."

"Crap."

"So you can see how it would have been remiss of me to let that one go."

"Yeah, I get it. Why'd you encourage her, though? She's like ten."

"Lady Iris is twelve," Ignis corrected him automatically. "It's a harmless crush."

"It's not harmless if her brother beats the hell out of me over it."

"Gladio would never. Unless, perhaps, you break his poor sister's heart…"

"Yeah, fine; I'll get her something for White Day. Happy?"

Ignis wasn't, really, but he made a vague sound of assent before returning to the kitchen to check on dinner.

"Well, I ate the one piece; might as well finish off the bag," Noctis called after him.

"I think not; you'll spoil your appetite."

"Damn. It was worth a shot."

* * *

It wasn't uncommon for the two of them to eat dinner together, so Ignis knew better than to put any stock into the fact that they were sharing the meal today in particular. He had made Noctis's favorite chickatrice, egg, and rice dish, and it had the intended effect of improving Noctis's mood somewhat. He hadn’t been terribly talkative recently, but Ignis managed to pry a few details out of him about his day at school and his plans for the upcoming weekend.

After the meal, Noctis retreated to the couch to start on his homework, and Ignis moved about the kitchen, alternating between cleaning up, sipping a cup of coffee, and preparing dessert. He had brought the items he'd purchased the other night, and now he set about the familiar ritual of baking pastries.

He'd been attempting for several years now to recreate the ones that Noctis had eaten in Tenebrae. With only Noctis's vague memories to go by, he hadn't yet managed to stumble across the right combination of ingredients. Tonight, though…

For the first time, Ignis was making them wrong on purpose.

They'd established on a previous attempt that the pastries Noctis remembered hadn't contained chocolate. But it was Valentine's Day, and Ignis wanted to give him _something_ in the spirit of the holiday.

Even though he knew he probably shouldn't.

Despite his misgivings, he soldiered on, and soon he had a tray full of warm chocolate tarts, which he carried into the living room.

Noctis looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"It _is_ a holiday, after all," Ignis said with a half-shrug, setting them on the table.

A thoughtful look passed over Noctis's face as he picked one up and studied it. Ignis knew he was probably wondering why Ignis had used chocolate again. Whether he was bothered by it or not, for once, Ignis couldn't suss out.

Either way, it didn't ultimately deter him. He polished off two of the sweets before mumbling something close to 'thanks,' and grudgingly returning to his schoolwork.

Ignis tried not to read too much into the fact that Noctis 'accepted his feelings,' as he'd put it earlier, every single day at mealtime. He was fairly certain that Noctis hadn't caught on to it anyway, which was just fine. Ignis knew he was being foolish.

Still, Ignis could never quite get over the way his heart leapt at the faint smile that graced Noctis's lips whenever he ate something Ignis had made for him.

* * *

As Ignis began collecting his things to retire for the evening, he sensed Noctis's presence behind him. Turning, he found his charge leaning idly against the counter. Ignis could tell he was trying to look nonchalant, but years of experience allowed him to see through the ruse.

"Was there something else?" he asked, pausing on his way to retrieve his keys.

Something akin to panic flickered behind Noctis's eyes before he blurted:

"Do you think we could go over that, um…" He faltered a moment, then motioned at a file folder on the coffee table, left there by Ignis earlier in the week. "Budget… expense… fund… thing?"

"The discretionary spending report?" Ignis asked, taken aback. Noctis rarely _volunteered_ for such things, never mind asked for Ignis's help with them. He had to resist the urge to check him for a fever.

"Sure. That."

Ignis glanced at his watch. It was getting late, and he'd rather hoped to go home and get some sleep and put this whole day full of muddled feelings behind him. But it truly was rare for Noctis to make an overture like this, and Ignis was loathe to discourage it.

He set his effects back down.

"I suppose so..."

"Cool."

Noctis shoved himself abruptly upright and fetched the report before retaking his seat on the couch. Ignis poured himself another cup of coffee before joining him, still not entirely sure where this was coming from. He knew he shouldn't look a gift chocobo in the mouth, but he was also certain that there were a million other things Noctis would rather be doing with his evening than this.

Perhaps he simply needed a distraction from his woes around the holiday.

Or perhaps…

Perhaps Noctis was looking for an excuse to keep Ignis at his side, just for a little longer.

No, certainly not. Ignis hastily put the brakes on his own traitorous train of thought as it veered sharply into too-good-to-be-true territory. It was much more likely that Noctis was simply in the midst of one of his more responsible moods and was taking advantage of it while it lasted.

Even so, Ignis couldn't help relishing the attention as they pored over the report well into the night.

Noctis was pretty sure he was the world's biggest idiot.

Was it possible to screw up Valentine's Day any more than he had? He seriously doubted it.

He'd only just recently come to terms with the fact that he was head-over-heels for his advisor. Try as he might, there was just no getting around it. Worse than his own realization of it was the fact that Prompto had noticed it, too. He'd been pestering Noctis every day since February began about what he was going to do for Ignis for Valentine's Day, and Noctis had dodged the topic as much as he could, citing the fact that Ignis's birthday was higher on his priority list. That just made Prompto switch to nagging about what he was going to get him for his birthday instead, and then once it passed, he was right back on the Valentine's bandwagon. Noctis had finally caved a few days prior and bought a little box of chocolates, fully intending to come up with some smooth, suave, totally sane and intelligent way to confess his feelings.

Then he'd eaten them himself, because, gods, he was so _stupid_.

There were about a billion and a half reasons why being in love with Ignis was a bad idea. Chief among them was the fact that Noctis, as the prince of Lucis, had certain _expectations_ to live up to. Followed closely by the fact that he had no idea if Ignis would reciprocate his feelings. All signs pointed to 'no,' in his opinion. Prompto insisted that he thought he had a shot, but Noctis didn't share his optimism.

Unlike Noctis, Ignis could be with anyone he wanted. Why in the hell would he pick Noctis, of all people? He already spent the majority of his time dutifully performing the tasks that had been assigned to him as a royal retainer. Noctis could hardly blame him for wanting a break from it all. Noctis might be an idiot but he wasn't _completely_ oblivious; he knew how high maintenance he was to deal with. He knew Ignis had been juggling the roles of friend, surrogate parent, teacher, advisor, and anything and everything else Noctis had ever needed him to be for as long as either of them could remember. Asking him to add "boyfriend" to that list just seemed cruel and selfish.

Noctis couldn't help wanting to anyway.

Nevertheless, he'd chickened out big time. When the big day finally came, he was entirely without chocolate to offer up, unless one counted his half-hearted attempt to pawn some of his classmates' gifts off on Ignis.

And then something bizarre had happened.

Ignis had made the pastries with chocolate again.

He knew damned well the ones Noctis had eaten in Tenebrae didn't have chocolate in them. Noctis had told him so ages ago, and Ignis _never_ forgot things like that.

Which meant he'd made them wrong on purpose.

Which meant… what exactly?

Was it Ignis's way of confessing his feelings for Noctis?

There was no way.

No freaking way.

In a desperate attempt to spend just a little more time in Ignis's company on the weirdest Valentine's Day of his life, Noctis had suggested the very romantic activity of going over some budget report that he didn't care about in the slightest. But Ignis had agreed and he'd gotten to spend another couple of hours basking in his presence, and that was really the best he could hope for.

* * *

The next month passed more quickly than Noctis would have liked, and he found himself once again staring down the barrel of a holiday with no gifts to give. It really wasn't fair, having them all in a row like this. He wondered if his dad could change the dates by royal decree. He'd ask Ignis, but that would give away the fact that he was even thinking about White Day to begin with and…

Ugh.

He ended up blurting the question out anyway, over dinner one night.

Ignis chuckled, a spoonful of curry halfway to his mouth.

"He could, but I imagine it would cause considerable dissent amongst the Council," turned out to be the answer.

"Really? Why?" Noctis asked. "They have something against breathing room?"

"It's more that they have something against anything that isn't to do with ending the war," Ignis explained, and Noctis grimaced internally at the solemn reminder that this was all frivolous stuff that was a _privilege_ to be dealing with.

Ignis seemed to have noticed the dark cloud that had descended over Noctis's mood, because he immediately returned to the original subject.

"Why do you want to move White Day? Do you need more time to prepare gifts for all your love-struck classmates?"

Noctis rolled his eyes; they had been the furthest thing from his mind. But now that Ignis mentioned it…

"Yeah," he admitted.

"If that's all that's bothering you, I'd be happy to assist you. You need only ask."

Noctis considered the offer. Maybe putting together White Day gifts for the others would give him some insight into what sort of gift would suit Ignis best. And it was yet another excuse to spend more time together.

"Sure," he said, trying to maintain an air of indifference. "If you've got time. Wouldn't want to ruin my royal reputation by being a miser."

"That's the spirit."

* * *

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have agreed to it.

Being in close quarters with the subject of his affection was doing absolutely nothing to clear Noctis's mind. If anything, it was further complicating everything. He wondered if Iris had found it this hard to concentrate when Ignis helped her make Valentine's chocolates last month. Watching Ignis at his craft was just…

It was _distracting_.

Quite frankly, Noctis didn't see how she'd managed to maintain her crush on him when she’d been in Ignis's proximity that whole time.

That line of thinking led to wondering if Ignis had his own pile of White Day gifts to make. How much chocolate had he gotten from his own secret admirers, either from his school days or from within the Crownsguard? Ignis was an obvious catch; Noctis figured he had to be at the far end of a very long line of people interested in Ignis's affection.

The anxiety surrounding that idea had been gnawing at his stomach all afternoon, and Noctis kept sneaking treats to try to quell the feeling.

"Noct, please," Ignis said around a sigh for what had to be the fifteenth time.

"What?" Noctis asked with mock-innocence, swallowing the cookie he'd just stolen from the cooling rack.

"I didn't bring unlimited supplies. If you eat them all, we'll have nothing for you to bring to school."

"That one was broken anyway," Noctis fibbed, but endeavored to keep his hands to himself.

It was hard. Ignis was _really_ good at baking. And Noctis’s stomach was still bothering him.

Ignis gave a huff of mild annoyance as he turned his back to retrieve the next tray from the oven. He'd finished several sheets of white chocolate chip cookies already, and now he was on to macarons, which Noctis was ostensibly in charge of filling with marshmallow crème.

In truth, they were in absolutely no danger of running out of gifts for Noctis's class. Everyone who'd given him chocolate would receive something in return, and Ignis, ever the pragmatist, was even making extras just in case they'd missed anyone in their initial count. Altogether, Noctis's kitchen counter was starting to look like a storefront with the number of cookies Ignis was producing, which was no small feat considering the diminutive size of the apartment's oven.

With a sigh of his own, Noctis forced himself back to the task he'd been assigned. There was no use trying to be sneaky; Ignis always knew what he was up to. As he piped frosting onto the macarons, he tried to ignore the usual pangs of guilt that came whenever Ignis did the brunt of the work that Noctis knew he should be doing himself. They were _his_ classmates, but here Ignis was, dedicating a chunk of his weekend to helping Noctis save face with them.

He really was going to be an excellent match for someone someday.

Noctis's really wished that 'someone' could be him.

And not just because he was Ignis's job.

When all of the macarons were filled and paired with their matching halves, Noctis separated out a few for additional decoration. These ones were for Iris, and despite not wanting to encourage her further, he also didn't want to be a jerk. He knew that she'd recently gotten really into moogles, and so Noctis piped pink, red, purple, and black frosting onto the macarons' round tops until they resembled the creatures to the best of his abilities.

He felt Ignis's eyes on him and glanced up to find him grinning at Noctis over the rim of his coffee cup.

"Your art has really improved," Ignis commented, surely referring to some of the crude drawings Noctis had made throughout the Citadel when they were kids. "I'm sure Iris will be delighted."

Noctis ducked his head, hoping he looked a lot less affected than he felt.

"Yeah, well," he muttered, and left it at that.

Together, he and Ignis divided the cookies up evenly and put them into little boxes to (hopefully) keep them from being broken in transit. When they sealed the final box, Noctis wandered into the living room and flopped dramatically onto the couch, earning him a chuckle from where he'd left Ignis in the kitchen.

"Come now; it wasn't that bad."

Noctis made a point of not responding, taking out his phone and booting up King's Knight instead, which only seemed to amuse Ignis further.

As he collected his things and made ready to leave, Ignis came to stand beside the couch and motioned to Noctis's phone.

"You'd best set an alert to remind yourself to bring the boxes with you," he advised.

Noctis rolled his eyes but let Ignis watch as he flipped to his calendar app and put the notification into it.

Satisfied, Ignis took his leave.

It was only after the door closed that Noctis realized he still had absolutely no idea what to give Ignis for White Day.

He was running out of time.

* * *

And then everything went horribly wrong.

Noctis typically practiced combat drills with Gladio, but he'd had other duties assigned and had to cancel. While Noctis usually jumped at the chance for a break, his Monday had been particularly lousy, and he'd needed an outlet for his frustration. He'd asked Ignis to stand in for Gladio, and Ignis had obliged.

It wasn't as though he and Ignis never trained together; in fact, it was pretty necessary that they learn each other's fighting styles to be an effective team in the field, should that time ever come. But Noctis would be lying if he said he didn't try to avoid it as much as he could. For one thing, being in close proximity to Ignis had a tendency to distract him, like in the kitchen the other day. For another, battle was the one place where Ignis stopped letting him coast by in life and turned into an absolute monster.

Ignis claimed it was because it would do Noctis no good in this arena if he were to go easy on him, and would only end up hurting him later in life.

Noctis, though, couldn't help feeling like this was Ignis's way of getting back at him for all the grief being in Noctis's service had caused him over the years.

He didn't like to think about it.

At any rate, his bad mood had outweighed his trepidation this time, and since Ignis was already at the Citadel when Noctis got out of class, they'd headed to the garden to get started. It wasn't where they'd normally do this, but the training room was already packed full of Crownsguard who were equally sick of the dreary winter weather outside, and it had seemed like a good alternative at the time.

Later, Noctis wondered if the unseasonable heat hadn't contributed to what happened next.

Everything had been going pretty normally at first. Noctis had to play a lot of defense as Ignis came at him with a flurry of blows that showed him there was going to be no mercy today. As he'd hoped, Noctis was soon so busy concentrating on not getting his ass handed to him that he had no room to mull over the rest of his terrible day.

But then there came an uncharacteristically sloppy lunge that Noctis phased around easily, and Ignis hit the ground before Noctis could taunt him for it.

For a split second, he wondered if it was a feint.

Then he was on his knees in the dirt, shaking Ignis's shoulder and calling his name with increasing urgency.

* * *

"Sleep-deprivation," the royal physician told him that evening.

Noctis wanted to crawl in a hole and die. He hadn't noticed anything wrong at all. This whole time, Ignis had been going about his - their - normal routine, seeing to everything that needed seeing to and taking care of Noctis like he always did. Yet somehow Noctis hadn't noticed that Ignis was neglecting himself in the process.

In hindsight, it made sense. Ignis was a proper member of both the Council and the Crownsguard now, and both were full-time jobs in and of themselves without factoring Noctis into the equation. In true Ignis fashion, he'd run himself ragged trying to prove that he could handle it all at once. His body had finally just given out on him, unable to withstand the punishment any longer. He could only push himself so far on Ebony alone.

Now Ignis was under observation at the hospital, confined to bed rest at the doctor's orders. And Noctis was…

Well, Noctis was avoiding him. He knew he should go visit him. He knew that was the right thing to do, as his friend - his charge - his… whatever he was.

But he couldn't. He didn't know what to say - didn't know what to do to fix this. Because it was _definitely_ his fault.

In the meantime, though, Noctis couldn't escape the day-to-day minutiae of the rest of his life. Ignis's condition remained lodged firmly in the back of his mind throughout the next day, through his classes, through an obligatory photo op, and through training, which had resumed with Gladio.

He was so lost in thought, in fact, that Gladio managed to knock him flat on his face.

Ignoring the amused snort emanating from somewhere above him, Noctis clambered into a sitting position, scowling at the ground.

Gladio sank down beside him, resting his training sword across his knees.

"Okay, what gives?"

"I'm just distracted, all right?"

"He's gonna be fine," Gladio said knowingly, and Noctis scowled harder.

"Landing himself in the hospital because he won't take care of himself isn't fine."

Gladio hummed in agreement at that.

"…I feel like I should be doing something," Noctis said after a moment, hating the plaintive way it came out but unable to help it.

"Best thing you can do for Ignis right now is to show him you're taking care of yourself. You know how he fusses over you. Clean your apartment, stay on top of your school work. Maybe try eating something with a vegetable in it."

Noctis made a face, and Gladio rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you said you wanted to do something."

"Something else."

Truth be told, Noctis had already been trying to do all those things (pizza sauce counted as a vegetable, right?), but they were all things he knew he was supposed to already be doing anyway. This situation went above and beyond their usual day to day, and Noctis wanted to do something that rose to the occasion more appropriately.

"Could get him flowers," Gladio suggested.

"What?" Noctis asked incredulously, and Gladio shrugged.

"What, yourself? It's classic. Iggy likes that sort of thing. Especially coming from you - he'll appreciate you were thinking of him."

"I'm not so sure he'll appreciate the reminder of where we were training that landed him in the hospital in the first place."

"Get creative, then," Gladio said, and got to his feet. Looked like break time was over. "You've known him your whole life - you'll think of something."

* * *

It came to him the following day after school, on the trek home. He'd been half-listening to Prompto waxing poetic about an upcoming new game when a storefront caught his eye. It was admittedly hard to miss, practically blinding with its big white display in the front window.

Noctis slowed to a stop.

Oh _crap_.

White Day.

Tomorrow.

With his brain preoccupied with being on his best behavior and worrying over Ignis, he'd completely forgotten.

Typical.

Now that it was staring him in the face, though, he remembered he still owed Ignis for the chocolate pastries. And for working him half to death. And for not having visited him in the hospital yet. And for years and years of grief. And…

"Uh, dude? You okay?"

Prompto had paused mid-step, turning to look at Noctis over his shoulder.

Noctis didn't answer, his brow furrowed in thought.

Prompto jogged back to his side, studying the storefront along with him.

It was a baking supply shop. Noctis was sure they'd walked past it a million times, but it had never really registered before now. He wondered if Ignis had ever been here.

Probably.

Prompto gave a low whistle.

"White Day, huh?"

"Yeah."

"That's gotta be expensive, considering how much chocolate you got."

Noctis made an irritated noise. Prompto was right, of course, but Noctis hadn't seen fit to tell him about the impromptu baking session Ignis had initiated to solve that particular problem. The boxes were already stacked up and ready for Noctis to cart to school the moment his phone alerted him to do so.

At any rate, with everyone else's gift already accounted for, that just left Ignis himself. Noctis scanned the display, taking in the white chocolates, the decadent little cakes and cookies, as well as the more practical mixing bowls, measuring spoons, and other tools of the trade.

"This is hurting my eyes," Prompto complained, wandering a few steps away to fiddle with his camera.

"You could leave," Noctis suggested grumpily.

"And miss whatever this is?" he asked, waving to encompass Noctis and the storefront before snapping a photo. "Not a chance."

Noctis wasn't sure _what_ this was. But he was out of time, and while he didn't believe in signs from the sleeping Six, the fact that this store had caught his attention today of all days _was_ pretty fortuitous.

"You planning to take up baking while Ignis is laid up?" Prompto guessed.

Noctis shook his head.

This was probably a dumb idea. But the gift WAS supposed to be something white, and Noctis couldn't bake for beans, and Ignis did love puns…

Best not to think too hard about it.

He stepped through the doors, a still-confused Prompto on his heels.

* * *

The next day after school, Noctis entered Ignis's hospital room and thrust a bag into his arms, before looking away guiltily. Seeing Ignis lying in that bed, pale and with his hair down and mussed, made Noctis sick with worry all over again.

It was a testament to how long they'd known each other that Ignis just went with it, not questioning what had taken Noctis so long and accepting the bag without comment. Paper and plastic rustled as Ignis perused its contents, but it was clear the labels weren't helpful enough when Ignis admitted, "I'm not sure I understand."

"I got you flours," Noctis said, knowing it was dumb the moment he said it aloud.

"'Flowers'?" Ignis echoed curiously.

"You know, like you bake with."

Noctis raked a hand through his hair, staring at the floor.

A moment's pause, then Ignis let out a breathy little laugh.

"Clever."

He heard Ignis rifling through the bag again and tried not to let the compliment go to his head.

"All-purpose flour… wheat flour… almond flour… What's this one?"

Noctis glanced up despite himself. Ignis was studying one of the smaller packets, held shut with a turquoise wax seal.

"Fancy Altissian rice flour," Noctis responded. That one had been particularly taxing on his part-time job funds, but using his royal credit card would have felt like cheating, so he'd gone ahead and taken the hit.

"I don't believe I've used this before," Ignis said. "Accordo and Tenebrae still have a healthy trade partnership; perhaps this is the secret ingredient in those pastries you were so fond of."

Noctis made a noncommittal noise. Leave it to Ignis to somehow turn things back to Noctis. He never, ever thought about himself. Maybe if Ignis had been taking better care of himself, he wouldn't have retried the same wrong recipe a second time. Noctis knew the moment he thought it that it wasn't fair, but his frustration with the whole situation was starting to override his logic. 

"Speaking of secret ingredients," he said pointedly, "you know they don't have chocolate in them."

"Ah."

The way Ignis said it, Noctis knew he’d caught him in a lie. It didn't happen often, but Noctis knew it when he heard it. He leveled Ignis with a look that demanded an explanation.

None seemed to be forthcoming, however, as Ignis went back to studying the bag full of flours. Noctis ground his teeth.

Ignis must have heard it, because he said,

"Apologies, Noct. I'd… rather not discuss it. I'm a bit embarrassed, to be honest. But I do appreciate the 'flours'. And that you've come to visit me, of course."

It sounded like a dismissal. Noctis's chest hurt. Had Ignis thought, for one second, that he _wouldn't_ come to see him in the hospital? It _had_ been a few days, but…

Noctis would have come sooner, but…

But he was a coward, plain and simple. It had taken everything he had to come here and face Ignis, knowing that he was largely at fault for his predicament. And now that he was here, he seemed to just be making everything worse.

"…You shouldn't be in the hospital for White Day," he said miserably. The 'or at all' didn't quite make it out of his mouth.

"Oh, I don't know. White walls, white curtains, white bedsheets…"

The way Ignis tried to downplay it was just too much.

"This isn't funny!" Noctis bit out, and Ignis fell silent. Noctis immediately felt bad for snapping at him, but the apology, too, lodged itself in his throat. It really _wasn't_ funny. He was really worried. He was afraid that Ignis was mad at him. He was afraid that Ignis thought Noctis didn't care about him. He was afraid that Ignis would go right back to working too hard the moment he was discharged from the hospital, and that the result would be even worse next time, and…

"You're right, Noct. I'm sorry," Ignis said gently.

That only made Noctis feel worse.

"You're not the one who should be apologizing all the time."

Silence stretched between them for several painful beats, until Ignis finally cleared his throat.

"Is that what these are then? An apology?" he asked, motioning at the bag beside him.

"They probably should be."

"You mentioned White Day," Ignis said. "Did you remember to bring everything for your classmates?"

"Yeah," Noctis muttered. There he went again, right back into Dutiful Advisor mode.

"Good," Ignis said with an air of relief. "I hope everything turned out to their liking."

"Yeah," Noctis said again.

The longer they tiptoed around the subject, the more it started to bother him.

"You don't forget things like that," he pressed, against his better judgement. "Not even when you're tired. That wasn't like you."

Ignis shifted beneath the sheets, looking more vulnerable than Noctis had ever seen him. If he didn't know better, he'd think Ignis was tempted to hide under the covers and avoid the rest of this train wreck of a conversation.

Which Noctis could totally get behind, since he wanted to do the exact same thing.

"It was more foolishness than anything," Ignis said, brow furrowing. "And speaking of unusual behavior, I seem to recall you taking a sudden interest in finances that same evening."

Crap.

So he HAD noticed.

Of course he had, though. Ignis always noticed. It was, by turns, reassuring and infuriating. But that made Noctis realize what the lie was.

"…It wasn't an accident, was it?"

The thought had occurred to Noctis at the time, of course, but he’d dismissed it as wishful thinking. Now, though…

Ignis didn't respond, and Noctis looked at him fully, needing to know.

"Ignis?"

"Must you make me say it?"

And that was the answer in itself.

Not quite knowing what to do with that information, Noctis paced the short length of the room a few times, trying to gather his thoughts. Ignis settled the bag full of flours on the bedside table, keeping his peace as well.

Ignis had given him chocolate on Valentine's Day. On purpose. Just like Noctis was here now, giving him a White Day present. On purpose.

"So…" Noctis said carefully, afraid that he was reading this all wrong despite having known Ignis for most of his life and all signs pointing to his interpretation being correct, "…Is that what we are now? People who exchange gifts on Valentine's Day and White Day?"

Ignis's expression was… not neutral, but for the life of him, Noctis couldn't decipher it.

"It would seem so."

Silence fell again, a little less tense this time, but still full of all the things neither of them could manage to say. Desperate to escape the stifling uncertainty, Noctis said the first thing that popped into his head.

"How do we break it to Iris?"

Ignis barked out a very undignified laugh, and Noctis felt himself grinning despite himself.

All at once, Noctis was reminded of when their roles had been reversed - when it was Noctis who had been bedridden in the hospital, and Ignis who had come to visit him (much more promptly, of course). Noctis had just returned from Tenebrae, and he'd thought at that time that nothing anyone in the world could say or do would make him feel better about the things he'd witnessed during his short time there.

And then Ignis had arrived and that, alone, had done it. It hadn't erased the horror of the Marilith attack, or magically healed his injuries, or absolved him of his guilt at having abandoned Luna and her brother. But Ignis's presence had cast aside just a little bit of that overwhelming darkness, and Noctis had felt the faintest glimmer of hope that everything would, eventually, be all right. With Ignis at his side, it always was.

He felt it again now. Hope.

Hope that, despite all the forces around them that made it seem like this was a terrible, doomed idea, maybe they really did both have the same goal in mind.

And that maybe Ignis was just as much of an idiot as Noctis was.

**Author's Note:**

> [Noct gives Ignis his flours](https://drive.google.com/file/d/19c-lyUgTvo7CbmL2JWvoui281sDl6g4C/view) \- by [ladymildred](https://twitter.com/ladymildred)


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